Structure and method for parallel testing of dies on a semiconductor wafer

ABSTRACT

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor wafer has a plurality of dies each having a circuit and a plurality of contact pads. The plurality of contact pads include a first contact pad to receive a power supply voltage, a second contact pad to receive a ground voltage, and a third contact pad to receive a test control signal. The third contact pad is connected to a programmable self-test engine (PSTE) embedded on the corresponding die so that the test control signal activates the PSTE to initiate a self-test. A probe card has a plurality of sets of probe pins, each set of probe pins having three probe pins for contacting the first, second, and third contact pads of one of a corresponding number of the plurality of dies. During wafer test, the plurality of sets of probe pins come in contact with a corresponding number of dies so that the self-test is carried out simultaneously in the corresponding number of dies.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 10/340,558, filed Jan. 9, 2003, entitled “Structure and Method forParallel Testing of Dies on a Semiconductor Wafer,” which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/542,802, filed Apr.4, 2000, entitled “Powering Dies on a Semiconductor Wafer Through WaferScribe Line Areas”, which disclosure is incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the semiconductor technologyand more particularly to structures and methods for testing wafer.

The rapid advancement in the semiconductor industry has enabledmanufacturing of highly complex integrated circuits (ICs). Such ICs arebeing fabricated on large wafers capable of housing a greater number ofdies. Also, with the advancement in the IC packaging technology, smallerpackages with significantly higher pin-count have become commerciallyavailable. A larger number of pads can thus be placed on each die. Thishas in turn resulted in a significantly more complex set of testrequirements and a substantial increase in the time required to test alldies on a wafer.

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a wafer 100 having multiple dies 102organized in rows and columns separated by horizontal scribe lines 104and vertical scribe lines 106. After wafer sort (i.e., testing all thedies on a wafer to identify non-functional dies), the good dies areextracted from the wafer by sawing along the vertical and horizontalscribe lines and then placed in the desired packages. Wafer sort isusually carried out using a probe card connected to a tester. The probecard sequentially contacts each die on the wafer until all dies havebeen tested.

Techniques wherein multiple dies are tested simultaneously are widelyused to reduce wafer sort time. However, the number of dies that can betested at the same time is limited by the number of pins that a testercan support divided by the number of pins on each die (the currenttesters are limited to few hundred pins).

Accordingly, there is a need for structures and methods for efficientlytesting dies on a wafer.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, asemiconductor wafer has a plurality of dies each having a circuit and aplurality of contact pads. The plurality of contact pads include a firstcontact pad to receive a power supply voltage, a second contact pad toreceive a ground voltage, and a third contact pad to receive a testcontrol signal. The third contact pad is connected to a programmableself-test engine (PSTE) embedded on the corresponding die so that thetest control signal activates the PSTE to initiate a self-test. A probecard has a plurality of sets of probe pins, each set of probe pinshaving three probe pins for contacting the first, second, and thirdcontact pads of one of a corresponding number of the plurality of dies.During wafer test, the plurality of sets of probe pins come in contactwith a corresponding number of dies so that the self-test is carried outsimultaneously in the corresponding number of dies.

In accordance with another embodiment, a semiconductor wafer has aplurality of dies separated by scribe line areas, and one or moreconductor lines extend through at least a portion of the scribe lineareas.

In one embodiment, at least one of the one or more conductor lines hasat least one contact pad.

In accordance with another embodiment, a semiconductor wafer has aplurality of dies separated by scribe line areas. A plurality of contactpads are located in the scribe line areas. At least one of the pluralityof contact pads is routed into one of the plurality of dies.

In accordance with another embodiment, a method for testing a waferwhich has a plurality of dies separated by scribe line areas, and one ormore conductor lines extending through at least a portion of the scribeline areas, is as follows. A wafer is placed in a tester for testing theplurality of dies. A self-test operation is simultaneously initiated ina predetermined number of the plurality of dies by bringing a probe cardcoupled to the tester in electrical contact with fewer number of diesthan the predetermined number.

In accordance with another embodiment, a wafer has a plurality of diesseparated by scribe line areas, and a plurality of contact pads in thescribe line areas. At least one of the plurality of contact pads isrouted into one of the plurality of dies. A method of testing such waferis as follows. The wafer is placed in a tester for testing the pluralityof dies. A probe card coupled to the tester is brought in electricalcontact with the plurality of pads in the scribe line areas to initiatea self-test operation in a predetermined number of the plurality ofdies.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a wafer has aplurality of dies separated by scribe line areas, and a plurality ofconductor lines extending through at least a portion of the scribe lineareas. The plurality of conductor lines are selectively routed intopredesignated groups of dies. One of more of the plurality of conductorlines has at least one contact pad. A method of testing such a wafer isas follows. The wafer is placed in a tester for testing the plurality ofdies. A probe card coupled to the tester is brought in electricalcontact with the at least one contact pad of the one or more of theplurality of conductor lines extending in the scribe line areas toinitiate a self-test operation in at least one of the predesignatedgroups of dies.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional wafer containing diesseparated by scribe lines areas;

FIGS. 2 a and 2 b are schematic diagrams of a portion of a wafer showingdies with internal test pads in accordance with two embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a wafer showing dies withtest pads located in the scribe line areas in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic diagrams showing conductor lines extendingthrough scribe line areas in accordance with two embodiments of theinvention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a wafer showing conductorlines with contact pads extending through scribe line areas inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, methods and structures for wafer leveltest of semiconductor dies organized on the wafer in a matrix of rowsand columns are provided. A programmable self-test engine (PSTE) housedin each die enables self-test to be performed in each die by onlysupplying power, ground, and one or more test signals. This in turnenables simultaneous testing of a larger number of dies than waspreviously possible since the tester needs to contact only few (e.g., 3or 4) contact pads on each die to initiate the self-test. In oneembodiment, the few contact pads are located in the scribe line areasrather than inside each die. In another embodiment, the few contact padson each die are coupled to corresponding metal lines extending throughthe scribe line areas. In yet another embodiment, contact pads areprovided on the metal lines extending through the scribe line areas sothat the tester can directly contact these metal lines.

FIG. 2A shows a portion of a wafer having dies 202 separated from eachother by horizontal scribe lines 204 and vertical scribe lines 206. Eachdie has, in addition to the pads normally used for the purpose ofelectrically connecting the die to the pins of a package, three pads208, 210, 212 that are used for the purpose of wafer sort.Alternatively, one, two, or all of pads 208, 210, and 212 are used bothfor the purpose of wafer sort as well as for normal die functions (i.e.,are connected to pins of the package).

Pad 208 is configured to receive the power supply otherwise referred toas Vcc, Vdd, or other common notations of the industry, and hereinafterreferred to as Vcc. Pad 210 is configured to receive the groundpotential, otherwise referred to as GND, Vss, or other common notationsof the industry, and hereinafter referred to as Vss. Pad 212 isconfigured to receive a signal for activating a programmable self-testengine (PSTE) incorporated in die 202. More details of the PSTE areprovided further below.

During wafer test, only pads 208, 210 and 212 are coupled to the testerthrough a probe card. Multiple dies, in fact as many as can be handledsatisfactorily by the probe card and the tester, can be testedsimultaneously. The tester supplies both Vcc and Vss on respective pads208 and 210, and then supplies a self-test activate signal on pad 212 toactivate PSTE. The Probe card remains in contact with the dies until thetest is complete. In another embodiment, pad 212 is also an input/out(IO) pad capable of indicating whether the self-test is successfullycompleted. In one embodiment, pads 208, 210 and 212 are routed to thePSTE only, and thus are not used once the die is packaged. Theinvention, however, is not limited as such, and the Vcc pad 208 and Vsspad 210 may be routed to supply power to both the PSTE and other circuitblocks on a die.

Unlike built-in self-test (BIST) mechanisms, the PSTE allows changingcertain test parameters through the tester (i.e., the PSTE hasprogramming capability). This feature is essential in testing of mostsemiconductor devices and is commonly used during the development oftest programs or for the purpose of debugging a faulty die. Theprogrammability of the PSTE allows for, but is not limited to, changingthe order in which certain portions of the die are tested, changing thesequences of test conditions, and changing the test parameters.Accordingly, pin 212, other than being used for activating the PSTE andproviding test result information, may also be used for the purpose ofloading data to be programmed into the PSTE memory.

Designing an interface that allows the extraction of a clock from thedata provided on pin 212 would be obvious to one skilled in this art.Schemes such as Manchester coding could be used for this purpose. Inanother embodiment, PSTE memory may be pre-loaded with initial self-testsequences and parameters. In yet another embodiment, the PSTE can bedesigned to provide information about the test results based oninformation stored in PSTE internal registers. This information mayinclude, but is not limited to, success or failure of the test,identification of failure, position of failed bits in memory tests(where the dies contain memory), action taken to override bit failuresin memory, reference to operational voltages, and so on. Information maybe transmitted in a manner requiring clock extraction, if necessary.

FIG. 2B shows another embodiment of the present invention wherein inaddition to the three pads 208, 210, 212, pad 214 is provided for wafersort purposes. Pad 214 is used to supply a clock signal to the PSTE. Theclock signal helps make both loading of the test data as well asextracting test results simpler, thus simplifying the on-die circuitry.

FIG. 3 shows a portion of a wafer having dies 302 separated from eachother by horizontal scribe lines 304 and vertical scribe lines 306. Thewafer layout is similar to the embodiment in FIG. 2A, except that thethree pads (used solely for wafer sort) on each die are placed in scribeline areas rather than on the die. Each of three pads 308, 310, 312 iselectrically connected to circuitry inside the corresponding die viashort interconnect lines. Pad 308 is configured to receive Vcc, pad 310is configured to receive Vss, and pad 312 is configured to receive asignal for activating PSTE in the respective die.

The wafer sort operation is similar to that described in connection withFIG. 2A except that the probe card must be modified to contact pads inthe scribe line areas. Also, in the FIG. 3 embodiment, when extractinggood dies from the wafer by sawing along the scribe lines, the pads inthe scribe line areas are eliminated or destroyed. The variations of theFIG. 2A embodiment described above may also be implemented in the FIG. 3embodiment. Further, similar to the FIG. 2B embodiment, a fourth pad(not shown) may be added for each die in the scribe line area for thepurpose of supplying a dedicated clock signal to the PSTE. In yetanother embodiment, pad 312 is used for the purpose of providing areference voltage. In yet another embodiment, in the case where areference voltage input is required, another pad is added. Differentvoltages may be provided to the dies via this additional pad for testingpurposes. This eliminates the need for incorporating on-chip referencevoltage generators. In a further embodiment, the voltage reference padis also used for the purpose of providing a clock while the PSTE isbeing programmed, simplifying the design of PSTE so that noself-extraction of a clock is required.

FIG. 4 shows a portion of a wafer with dies 402 separated by verticaland horizontal scribe line areas, in accordance with another embodimentof the present invention. Interconnect metal lines 420 and 422 arerouted through the scribe line areas and extend perpendicularly to oneanother. Metal lines 420 extend vertically through the scribe line areasand are connected to pads 408 (Vcc) of different dies, and metal lines422 extend horizontally through the scribe line areas and are connectedto pads 410 (Vss) of different dies. Vertically-extending lines 420 maybe from a different layer metal than horizontally-extending lines 422.This achieves physical separation between Vcc and Vss power signals.Further, by running Vcc lines and the Vss lines perpendicular to eachother (rather than in parallel through same scribe line areas), thepossibility of electrical shorts between the Vcc and Vss lines duringthe sawing process is significantly reduced. As can be seen, thisembodiment reduces the number of probe-card pins required tosimultaneously test multiple dies as compared to previous embodiments.

In one embodiment, metal lines 420 and 422 extend across the entirelength of the wafer. In another embodiment, metal lines 420 and 422extend only through a specified field of the wafer. For example, a fieldcontaining 12 dies organized in three rows by four columns may berepeated throughout the wafer.

As in previous embodiments, pad 412 may be used as an input/out (IO)pad, capable of indicating if a die 402 under test has completedsuccessfully the self test. Alternatively, pad 430 may be used for thepurpose of providing a reference voltage.

It should be noted that same test procedure would apply even if onlyspecific fields containing a number of dies as mentioned above aretested. In this case, the test procedure will repeat several times untilall tests are completed. A person skilled in the art could easily modifythe scheme of pads internal to die 402 to pads placed in the scribeline. The pads would be connected directly to lines 420 and 422respectively and then routed into each die. In yet another embodiment,test pads 412 are also placed in the scribe line and routed tocorresponding dies. In yet another embodiment, specifically in the casewhere a reference voltage input is required, another pad is added.

In the embodiment where the test program and/or parameters, collectivelythe “test data”, are to be loaded into the PSTE, this can be done byloading such test data in parallel in all dies. However, after all diesare tested, each die may contain different test results requiring eachdie to be individually accessed for the test result information. In oneapproach, the probe card can provide power and ground to one column andone row of dies at a time, resulting in the ability to read the testresult from a single die. The process can be repeated until all dies areread. In the case where the power and ground lines cover a predefinedfield, the probe card would be able to examine in parallel testinformation from multiple dies.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 where an additionalhorizontally-extending metal line 524 is added in the scribe line areas,and which is connected to the test pad 512 of the dies along acorresponding row. In this case, the self-test may be activatedsimultaneously in a whole row of dies. This advantageously furtherreduces the number of probe-card pins required. A person skilled in theart could easily modify the scheme of pads internal to dies 502 to padsplaced in the scribe lines in view of this disclosure. The pads would beconnected directly to lines 520, 522 and 524 respectively. In yetanother embodiment, where a reference voltage input is required, anotherpad is added for this purpose.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6 where an additional vertically-extendingmetal line 626 is added in the scribe line areas, and which is connectedto clock pads 628 in the dies along a corresponding column of dies. Inthis case, a whole column of devices may receive a clock signalsimultaneously and operate in the manner described above where aseparate clock pad is provided on each die. Pads 630 connected to lines620, 622, 624, and 626 enable a probe card to touch these lines andactivate multiple dies in parallel or one at a time as desired.

The above embodiments wherein metal lines extend through scribe lineareas are not limited to the particular orientation of the metal lines.For example, the Vcc lines extending vertically may be changed to extendhorizontally.

Following are a set of examples intended to illustrate the efficienciesachieved in testing wafers using the above-described embodiments. In allthe following examples, it is assumed that the wafer has 1200 diesorganized in 30 rows and 40 columns, and testing of each die takes oneminute. Thus, if each die is tested separately, a total time of 1200minutes is necessary to complete testing of all 1200 dies.

Using, for example, the FIG. 4 embodiment, a column (30 dies) can betested simultaneously with a probe card having a total of 61 pins (onesupply pin, 30 ground pins, and 30 test enable pins). The wafer testwill take 1 minute per column and a total of 40 minutes for the wafer, asignificant reduction using a simpler probe card and tester. The diescan be tested in rows in a similar manner.

If the probe card pins and the tester are capable of high current drive,it is possible to test the entire wafer (e.g., using the embodimentshown in FIG. 5) with a total of 100 pins (40 supply pins, one percolumn of dies; 30 ground pins, one per row of dies; and 30 test enablepins, one per row of dies). Test time would thus be one minute for thewhole wafer. It is possible to test the entire wafer simultaneouslyusing a probe card with even fewer than 100 pins. In a three-layer metalprocess, metal layers 1, 2, and 3 may be used to form lines 520, 522,and 524, respectively. This enables connecting together allvertically-extending lines 520 with metal layer 1, connecting allhorizontally-extending lines 522 with metal layer 2, and connecting allhorizontally-extending lines 524 with metal layer 3. Thus, with onlythree probe pins the entire wafer can be tested at once. This embodimentis not limited to the above assignment of the three metal layers to thethree metal lines.

It is further possible to test the wafer in fields. A field could be anarray of dies having, for example, six rows and eight columns. Bytesting all the dies in a field simultaneously, it would take one minuteto test the entire field. The probe card would then move to continue thetest on an untested field and repeat this process 25 times, hence, thetest time would be 25 minutes. If each die in a field is to have its ownthree probe pins connected, a total of 144 pins would be required.However, it is possible to use either the row or column scheme describedabove so that a probe card with fewer number of pins may be used, e.g.,a probe card with 20 pins (8 supply pins, 6 ground pins, and 6 testenable pins). In another embodiment, five fields in a row could betested in parallel resulting, for example, in the use of a total of 100pins. In this case the total test time would be eight minutes. Manyother variations can be envisioned by one skilled in this art.

The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the presentinvention have been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed, and it should be understoodthat many modifications and variations are possible in light of theabove teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order tobest explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe invention and various embodiments with various modifications as aresuited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and theirequivalents.

1. A method for testing a wafer in a tester, the wafer having aplurality of dies separated by scribe line areas, and further having oneor more conductor lines extending through at least a portion of thescribe line areas, each die comprising a programmable self-test engine(PSTE), the method comprising: bringing a probe card coupled to thetester into electrical contact with a test access point on the wafer,the test access point electrically connected to a predetermined numberof the plurality of dies via the one or more conductor lines extendingthrough at least a portion of the scribe line areas; and via the testaccess point, sending test data to each PSTE of each die of thepredetermined number of the plurality of dies and initiating a self-testoperation in the predetermined number of the plurality of dies atsubstantially the same time.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein each ofthe plurality of dies has at least three contact pads configured toreceive three probe pins of the probe card, the one or more conductorlines having at least three conductor lines for electrically connectingthe corresponding ones of the three contact pads of the predeterminednumber of dies together.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at leastthree pads comprise a supply contact pad, a ground contact pad, and atest contact pad, the test contact pad being connected to theprogrammable self-test engine (PSTE) embedded on the corresponding die.4. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined number of dies is acolumn of dies.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the predeterminednumber of dies corresponds to a row of dies.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the predetermined number of dies is a field of m rows by ncolumns of dies.
 7. A method for testing a wafer in a tester, the waferhaving a plurality of dies separated by scribe line areas, and having aplurality of contact pads in the scribe line areas, at least one of theplurality of contact pads being electrically connected to one of theplurality of dies, the method comprising: bringing a probe card coupledto the tester into electrical contact with the plurality of pads in thescribe line areas to send test data to each of a plurality ofprogrammable self-test engines (PSTE) corresponding to each die of apredetermined number of the plurality of dies, and to initiate aself-test operation in each die of the predetermined number of theplurality of dies at substantially the same time.
 8. The method of claim7 wherein the plurality of contact pads includes a plurality of sets ofcontact pads, each set being associated with one of the predeterminednumber of the plurality of dies.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein eachset of contact pads includes a power contact pad, a ground contact pad,and a test contact pad, and wherein each of the power, ground, and testpads of the set of contact pads are electrically connected to acorresponding power, ground, and test pad of a corresponding die.
 10. Amethod for testing a wafer in a tester, the wafer having a plurality ofdies separated by scribe line areas, each die comprising a programmableself-test engine (PSTE), the wafer further having a plurality ofconductor lines extending through at least a portion of the scribe lineareas and being selectively routed into predesignated groups of dies,one or more of the plurality of conductor lines having at least onecontact pad, the method comprising: bringing a probe card coupled to thetester into electrical contact with the at least one contact pad of theone or more of the plurality of conductor lines extending in the scribeline areas to send test data to each PSTE associated with each of thedies, and to initiate a self-test operation in at least one of thepredesignated groups of dies.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein theplurality of conductor lines include a first conductor line having apower contact pad, a second conductor line having a ground contact pad,and a third conductor line having a tester contact pad, the probe cardhaving at least three probe pins for contacting the first, second, andthird contact pads during the step of brining the probe card in contactwith the at least one contact pad.
 12. The method of claim 10 whereinthe at least one of the predesignated groups of dies is a column ofdies.
 13. The method of claim 10 wherein the at least one of thepredesignated groups of dies is a row of dies.
 14. The method of claim10 wherein the at least one of the predesignated groups of dies is afield of m rows by n columns of dies.
 15. A computer readable media withinstructions to cause a microprocessor associated with a semiconductorwafer tester apparatus to perform the steps of: bringing a probe cardcoupled to the semiconductor wafer tester apparatus into electricalcontact with a test access point on a semiconductor wafer, the testaccess point electrically connected to a predetermined number of aplurality of dies on the semiconductor wafer via one or more conductorlines extending through at least a portion of a plurality of scribe lineareas separating each of the plurality dies; and via the test accesspoint, sending test data to each of a plurality of programmableself-test engines (PSTE) embedded in each die of a predetermined numberof the plurality of dies and initiating a self-test operation in thepredetermined number of the plurality of dies at substantially the sametime.
 16. The computer readable media of claim 15, wherein thepredetermined number of the plurality of dies corresponds to a column ofdies on the semiconductor wafer.
 17. The computer readable media ofclaim 15, wherein the predetermined number of the plurality of diescorresponds to a row of dies on the semiconductor wafer.
 18. Thecomputer readable media of claim 15, wherein the predetermined number ofthe plurality of dies corresponds to a group of dies within a specifiedset of rows and columns on the semiconductor wafer.